In light of the ongoing controversy surrounding Rohit Sharma's possible retirement following the forthcoming third ODI against England, former India pacer Zaheer Khan cautioned against taking rumors seriously.

According to reports, Rohit is no longer in the team management's plans for the ODI World Cup 2027 following his recent dismal performance in Cardiff.

According to an Indian Express story, Rohit Sharma was told by the team management that they are ready to let him go. However, BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia had to respond to the widespread reaction, especially on social media, to the news that the senior batter was being phased out. He assured everyone that Rohit Sharma would not retire and refuted the claims.

With the focus on Rohit Sharma, Zaheer Khan pointed out that there has been a lot of curiosity surrounding the forthcoming third ODI, but he insisted that rumors need to be treated properly.

"There will be a lot of interest in this game; there will be a lot of curiosity as well. The atmosphere is being created for Rohit as well; it might be that the curiosity increases even more. You should never go by speculations; there is no doubt about that. They will see the decider like a decider, and play like that," he said on Cricbuzz.

Rohit Sharma has made 11 and 26 runs in the ongoing ODI series, which is level 1-1. India won the first game in Birmingham, while England leveled the series in Cardiff.

Former India batter Mohammad Kaif pointed out that Rohit Sharma is far from a novice who would require coaching after a few poor performances. He believes that despite all of the talk and anticipation, the opening will come out guns blazing in the series finale.

"Whether there is clarity or not from the team management, Rohit Sharma is not some young man of today; he has been playing for such a long time. There is no need for coaches to tell Rohit Sharma how to play; he is going to play his game," he said.

Rohit Sharma has had his struggles in the ongoing series, scoring only 37 runs in two matches at an average of 18.50 and a strike rate of 54.41.